What services do you offer? Professional services range from assessment to placement to advocacy in educational, therapeutic, and medical environments. Common client profiles are individuals at risk due to behavioral, emotional, and/or psychiatric and/or recovery needs, those needing expert testimony for legal purposes, to those needing assessment for school and/or training environments.
Is this a free service? An overview of available services is absolutely free. Services are priced based on an individual’s needs. Get started today.
Do you offer a one time consultation? Yes, for a fee. Unlike unlicensed individuals who are only giving advice, ours is a licensed practice providing a professional intake that is kept on record for future reference.
Are you independent, or affiliated with a group? We are completely independent, and not affiliated with any school or groups of schools. Nor are we affiliated with any educational consultant organization that invites specific programs to “swaps” for revenue seeking purposes. We do independent site visits, and require documentation of licensure / certification, and insurance verification.
Are educational consultants licensed? Rarely. While educational consultants are valuable as parent coaches, they should not be used in place of licensed consultants. We only refer to licensed therapists, trained skillfully to provide family counseling.
Do you provide a list of school or treatment options? Yes. As part of the ongoing service agreement, we not only provide the right fit of programs, but ongoing communication with the program and the family to ensure quality care.
Is there a standard length of stay in treatment communities? Programs attempt to give a range of stay, however these stays vary according to two factors. First: What are the diagnoses and history of treatment? Second: What is the “buy in” of the individual to improve?
Is there a difference in how facilities interact with a licensed psychologist, versus a non-licensed educational consultant? Absolutely. Imagine a psychology course that is given to you in Wikipedia style. That is how ECs learn about special needs. There is no “test” given to ECs to assure proper understanding of diagnoses or quality of care. Programs need a licensed consultant to provide direct feedback as to how the family can better the motivation of the patient or client. Consumer beware.
Are the residential options close or far away? It depends. Rules and regulations in States dictate the options found within those States for residential care. Most states allow only so long to house minor individuals, and those length of stays do vary. Those of majority age can find more options in insurance-friendly States. Dr. Burdick believes in family preservation and reunification, and finds choices that fit the need to visit family members frequently.
Can wilderness treatment programs harm youth? Proper ones don’t and it’s up to the referring professional to understand the differences in the standards. Most ECs have never spent a night in the wilderness, and never visit the staff and assess youth as Dr Burdick does visit on an ongoing manner. Dr. Burdick often tells an important story around wilderness treatment that he’s never forgotten. Ask him to tell it to you.
Why is visiting the programs important? Don’t the programs maintain their own quality control? They should, but not all do maintain that quality over time. Plus, the staff within these programs are “nomadic” and change from season to season, year to year. Dr. Burdick treasures his relationships with practitioners working in the field and keeps tabs on where they may go next in their own professional journey.
Is it the facility or the person who makes the difference in an individual’s life? Both. Dr. Burdick believes in integrity, ongoing professional development, and follow through – period. He only refers to the best trained therapists and recovery specialists. Recovery programs importantly put those people who are sober and successful out front to attract commitment from those new in recovery. Treatment programs provide aftercare solutions through collaboration with outside practitioners. Dr. Burdick knows the better aftercare solutions for his clients.
Is the residential therapeutic world changing? Yes, particularly in a positive way given recent legislative proposals of ensuring quality care across the country. Still, this is a slow process and it’s important to get the “best knowledge” and “proper recommendation” from a respected provider, Dr. Burdick. Again, another sound reason to use a licensed placement consultant.
Why Hire Dr Burdick? He and his staff are available to you when you are ready to get professional service and tired of flipping through the pages upon pages off the web that virtually all say the same thing! Why take a chance of risking time, money, and the future of your family member. Hire the “best insurance” for the future.